If you are a local voter your ballot is mailed to you three weeks before election day. If you are overseas or a service voter your ballot is mailed 45 days before a primary or general election and 30 days before special elections to allow more time for the ballot to reach you.

You have until election day to vote and return your ballot. Your ballot must be returned in a drop box no later than 8 p.m. on election night, or be postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service no later than election day.

Your ballot packet is returned to our office where a mail sorting machine scans the barcode for your information and takes a picture of the signature on the envelope. This signature will then be used in the verification process.
Watch ballot sorting live during an election.

State law requires that we compare your signature on the ballot envelope with your signature on file before we can count your ballot. If the signatures match we can count your ballot. If the signatures do not match or is missing, we contact you by mail, email, and phone letting you know how to take care of the issue. You have until the day before the election is certified to respond. Watch signature verification live during an election.

Working with a batch of ballots we first, remove all the security envelopes from the return envelopes. This is the point where the identity of the voter is separated from the ballot inside to ensure how you voted remains private. We then remove all ballots from the security envelopes. Finally, we inspect the ballot to see if the scanning equipment can correctly read the votes. Most ballots are sent to be scanned right away. Ballots with damage or unclear marks are sent to another workgroup to be prepped for scanning.
Watch ballot opening live during an election.

If your ballot will not be read properly due to stray marks, corrections, or the wrong color ink, it is reviewed by a team of two people to ensure the votes are counted correctly. We use the Voter Intent Manual created by the Office of the Secretary of State to ensure we are counting your votes as you intended. Using this guide ensures our voter intent decisions are made consistently from team to team and election to election.
Watch ballot review live during an election.

Once your ballot is ready for counting, a machine scans the ballot and stores the images on a secure and closed system. The tabulation server is secured in a room with security cameras, biometric controlled access, and tamper evident seals. Tabulation occurs at 8 p.m. on election night and results are made public soon after. Scanning and counting continue until all eligible votes are counted and the election is certified.
Watch ballot scanning live during an election.